Secondary school admissions Appeal guidance notes Some helpful information for Parents/Carers This leaflet has been published by the London Borough of Redbridge, Children’s Services. It is designed to help parents of children transferring to secondary school who have not yet been offered their preferred school. Parents/Carers are advised that this Authority follows the current Department for Education (DfE) advice which, at the time this leaflet was prepared, reflects the School admissions codes and regulations, details of which can be found on its website: www.education.gov.uk Contact: Admissions and Awards Team - [email protected] Contents Page 1 Introduction Page 2 Some Basic Information Page 3 Arrangements for the Appeal Hearing Page 6 At the Appeal Page 7 Making Your Case Page 7 Reaching a Decision Page 8 After the Appeal Introduction Choosing your child’s secondary school can be a difficult decision for you to make. In Redbridge most parents and carers get a place for their child at one of the schools they have applied for. If you do not get the school you want, you can appeal for a place on statutory grounds (unless your child has been permanently excluded from two schools). This leaflet is to help you understand the process and answers some common questions. Schools which are responsible for their own admissions (as ‘admission authorities’), deal with their own appeals. You should write to these schools direct for information about their appeal process. The only exceptions are Beal High School*and Loxford School Trust* which both became an academy in February 2014 – appeals will be arranged and progressed by Redbridge Admissions Team only, not the academy schools themselves, for both these schools. The secondary schools like this in Redbridge are listed below. For schools outside Redbridge you should generally contact the school direct or the local authority in which they are situated. Secondary Schools which are ‘admission authority’ schools: Faith/Religious schools which are Voluntary Aided & Academies: King Solomon High School (Jewish, mixed) The Palmer Catholic Academy (Catholic, mixed) Trinity Catholic High School (Catholic, mixed) Ursuline Academy Ilford (Catholic, girls) Foundation & Academies Atam Academy *Beal High School (mixed) see above Chadwell Heath Academy (mixed) Isaac Newton Academy (mixed) see above *Loxford School Trust (mixed) – see above Mayfield School (mixed) The Forest Academy (mixed) 1 Some basic information How do I decide which school I would like my child to go to? The best way to find out if you like a school is to visit it. Do not reject a school based on other peoples’ opinion – what one person likes about a school someone else may not. It is best to make up your own mind. When children transfer from primary to secondary school, schools hold an Open Day usually in September/October of the preceding year. They may welcome visits from parents at other times but you should always telephone them first to make an appointment. For older age groups this is not always possible and you should contact the school to discuss. Visit our website www.redbridge.gov.uk Each year, following the required Consultation process, the Local Authority agrees the admissions policy for our community secondary schools and a booklet is published by Admissions and Awards. You will find the current booklets on the Redbridge website (www.redbridge.gov.uk) or contact the relevant Admissions section to obtain the booklet which will help you apply, for example, the ‘Transfer to Secondary School’ booklet. Do I get a choice? The law does not give you a choice of school but it allows you to “express a preference”. So, by requesting a place for your child in a school, you have expressed your preference. We will listen to what you want, and your child’s application will be considered according to the admissions criteria for each of your preferred schools, but we may have to tell you that, sorry, the school is full. If you do not receive a place at the school you want for your child, you will receive a letter giving you information about why your child was not offered a place at the school. The letter will include information about appealing against that decision. Before deciding whether to appeal, you will probably want to think about the school’s published policy for admitting pupils, your reasons for wanting your child to attend the school, your child’s view of what school they should go to and how strong a case you have. You should therefore write to the relevant Admissions team at Lynton House telling them you want to appeal and name the school(s) – you do not have to go into details and give your case at this stage. You will then be sent the appeal form(s) with [these] guidance notes and the deadline by which your appeal form and supporting documents, if appropriate, should be received by the Admissions team. Please note that you cannot appeal for a school for which you have not made an application. In accordance with the School Admission Appeals Code, you must complete a separate appeal form for each school for which you wish to appeal, for each child. If you would like to appeal for more than one school and/or for more than one child, you must tell us so that we can send you enough forms for you to explain your reasons for each school individually. The forms are also available on the website. However, this generally means that each appeal will be heard by a different appeal panel and on a different date and time, so not necessarily on the same day or in the same week and it is important that we bring this to your attention. Please note that in this case we will be unable to process any appeal request until you have submitted your completed appeal form. Why would my child not get a place? All schools can admit up to a certain number of children, this is the “Published Admissions Number” or PAN. This number must be published and is agreed as part of the admissions policy. We must try to offer your child a place at the school you want. We will admit children to a school until the PAN is reached. 2 When we reach the PAN, we must refuse entry unless there are certain specific reasons, such as a child’s statement of special educational needs, which identifies a particular school. We can argue that admitting an extra pupil would “prejudice the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources”. This means that having an extra child at the school would harm the quality of education provided at the school. What is a “catchment area”? The Redbridge local authority has a “catchment area” for each of its community secondary schools, and for Beal High School, Loxford School Trust, Mayfield School and The Forest Academy. A catchment area is an area around each school, covering a number of roads or parts of roads. If you are not sure in which catchment area you live, the Admissions and Awards team can tell you. Living in a catchment area does not guarantee admission to the school but it gives you priority above applicants who do not live in the catchment area. Proofs of residence are often required to verify catchment area priority and a residence check visit may be required. If you live in Redbridge, your child will only qualify for one catchment secondary comprehensive school. My child took the tests but did not qualify for the Redbridge grammar school, can I appeal? Woodford County High School for girls and Ilford County High School for boys are the only maintained grammar schools in Redbridge. Admission is determined wholly on selection by reference to ability with priority given to those resident in the catchment area. Places are allocated at the schools according to the child's performance in the Redbridge selection tests. Appeals are possible for these schools but prospective appellants should note that there is no duty to comply with a parental preference for a selective school where compliance with the preference would be incompatible with established selection arrangements. Arrangements for the appeal hearing What can I do if my request for a school is turned down? If you are allocated a place at one of your preferred schools, any lower preference schools that you have requested will automatically have been withdrawn in accordance with the co- ordinated admissions policy. Your child’s position on the waiting list can go up, that is, it can improve if vacancies arise and the number of children at the school falls below the admissions limit. However, your child’s position on the waiting list can also go down, or worsen if more children apply for the school and their circumstances match the admissions criteria closer than those of your child: for example, if they live closer to the school than you, within the same criteria. Admissions will continue to be made to fill the school back up to its admission limit from the waiting list, taking children in order of criteria priority, as published. If we cannot give your child a place at one of your preferred schools, we will tell you which other schools in Redbridge have places, if appropriate. If you take a place at one of these schools, your child’s name will stay on the waiting list for your preferred school until 31 August each year: this continued interest must be renewed annually, in time for the start of the academic year. Please therefore send us an In Year application from 1 July to 15 August.